In a striking prime-time appearance at the Republican National Convention (RNC), former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley strongly endorsed Donald Trump, urging unity within the Republican Party. Haley, who once vehemently opposed the former President, used her speech to rally support for him, despite the lingering divisions within the GOP.
“President Trump asked me to speak at this convention in the name of unity. It was a gracious invitation, and I was happy to accept,” Haley began. Her speech aimed to persuade Republicans to set aside their differences and back Trump in the upcoming election, emphasizing shared goals over past conflicts. “You don’t have to agree with Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him. Take it from me,” Haley said. “I haven’t always agreed with President Trump. But we agree more often than we disagree. We agree on keeping America strong. We agree on keeping America safe. And we agree that Democrats have moved so far to the left that they’re putting our freedoms in danger.”
Haley’s message was clear: unity is crucial for the Republican Party to succeed. She acknowledged that some Republicans, herself included, have had disagreements with Trump, but she insisted that the stakes were too high to let those differences divide the party. “To my fellow Republicans: We must not only be a unified party, we must also expand our party,” Haley stated. “We are so much better when we are bigger. We are stronger when we welcome people into our party who have different backgrounds and experiences. And right now, we need to be strong to save America.”
However, her plea for unity did not resonate with everyone. As she took the stage, light boos echoed through the Fiserv Forum, lingering effects from her campaign against Trump in the primaries. Despite this, Haley’s endorsement of Trump was unequivocal. “I’ll start by making one thing clear. Donald Trump has my strong endorsement, period. Our country is at a critical moment. We have a choice to make. For more than a year, I said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for President Kamala Harris,” she said,
Her speech was not without criticism. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, another Trump critic, was quick to denounce Haley’s remarks. “We have enormously challenging times in our country right now, and what we need are leaders who have the courage of their convictions. What we saw in her speech tonight was neither courage nor convictions, it was really tortured ambition,” Christie said during an interview on ABC News.
Despite the criticism and the mixed reception, Haley’s speech managed to strike a chord with many Republicans; while Haley’s entrance received a lackluster reception, she left the stage to loud applause. “I think she proved we agree on more than we don’t,” said Kimberly Rice. What Haley proved, however, is difficult to nail down; precise policy discussion was largely absent from her speech. The resonance of her material consisted of repeating Trump’s favorite talking points, such as blaming the Russo-Ukraine conflict on Biden as well as the immigration crisis.
